Tag Archives: sick

If a Spaniard came to the U.S. and scrunched one eyebrow at the functionality of the electoral college, a liberal arts education, or the fact that I usually eat dinner at 5pm, I’d smile and say yep.

I’m just doing the same in reverse. Some things are weird (a term I give with the sincerest of affections and love, not of condemnation.)

This so-called coffee is a thick, black, tar-like substance. Imagine something like 4 shots of expresso in a mug the size your five-year-old neighbor’s tea cup. Small, but oh, it’s strong, so strong.

If I keep the coffee, sugar ratio at something like 2:1 and drown it in milk, I can chug it, but that’s it.

That said, coffee is a functional drink, and since I can’t do midday runs to Weshop for a Starbucks Double-Shot and Mountain Dew doesn’t exist here, I have to drink it on days like today.

Wednesday are typically long, but due to a few rescheduled classes, today was looooonger. My first class began at 9am (meaning I leave my house by 8 ) and the last ended at 8:15pm. In the middle, there were six classes, 2 thirty minute breaks, and one hour and half break before the last lecture.

I made it through though, and with a positive attitude no less. Without going into too much detail, there was plenty of opportunity to let some trivial distraction put me in a bad mood, but it didn’t. I’m really looking to continue that kind of success throughout the rest of the week.

I had a masterful study schedule put together for the weekend (which for me begins today, no Thursday or Friday classes), but it looks as though my plan will be disrupted. My eye has hurt all day, at dinner my sights starting going, and I’m now lying in bed with a pulsating headache. -Exactly the same symptoms my host mom just got over.

So, for tomorrow, a whole day in bed it is, without coffee, but probably with a few more episodes of my Spanish version of Friday Nigh Lights.

Orientation in Santiago was fine, but now that we are getting into the nuanced logistics of real life, not so much. A lot of it really is necessary, but my days have been filled with down time, morning commutes, and inconveniently scheduled meetings. Furthermore, after all of that, I still have no idea what classes I should be taking.

Basically, there are two main types of courses 1) normal classes with Spaniards, grados 2) classes (supposedly equally challenging but really not) taught in Spanish for international students, CEHs. To be honest, most of CEHs don’t really appeal to me. I listened to a lecture on the law CEH course, thinking I would be interested. Turns out the class is just semester long discussions on things like abortion and doctor assisted suicide. I’ve talked those subjects to death, and I don’t need to be in a classroom to have an intelligent conversation about them.

I’ve asked about how many grado classes students with lower-level Spanish skills (such as myself) could reasonably take, and I’m yet to get an answer. They just say it depends on how motivated you are. Motivation is no problem for me, but I want to know whether my motivation to succeed will lead me to an unhealthy stress level. Hopefully, I get a little direction tomorrow.

I’ve been doing a little research into extracurriculars too, although I’m a little lost there too. I have to say, Carlos III could win awards for its disorganization. I can’t find squat. However, after follow links from links from links, I found out that Carlos III has an Intervarsity chapter (same Christian fellowship that I’m a part of at home). Somebody responded to my email inquiry about that today, which lifted my spirits considerably.

I’ve been really sick the last couple days. It’s like someone coated my throat with plastic wrap, because it feels all constricted and sticky. I’m coughing so hard from deep down in my lungs that I fall forward. I can’t sleep either, because if I lay down my throat gets even more constricted. Consequently, I’ve had near constant head and stomach aches.

I think it might be a bug or something. Somebody said the air here is dryer and that I”m just adjusting, but I have no idea whether that is true. One of my friends has the same thing as I do, which I find slightly encouraging. At least that means that there isn’t just something weird wrong with me.

It was just a mild fever, headache, stomachache, and groggy nose, but I have to say all those symptoms are infinitely worse when you are taking care of yourself. I wanted someone to sit and talk to me even more than I wanted ibuprofen.

So it with that commentary that I dedicate this you, mother. For every drowsy morning I laid in bed watching mid-90’s TV shows while you made me chocolate chip pancakes, put fresh peaches at the top of the shopping list, and pre-stocked the freezer with smoothie strawberries because the doctor yanked 4 teeth out of my mouth. Then we’d watch Bones or something.

P.S.

Still not eating much, but doing okay otherwise. Hope it gets all better I leave for Dallas on Monday, but being totally normal tomorrow so I can prepare to leave on Monday would be even better.